Host cells and methods for producing diacid compounds

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides for a genetically modified host cell and related methods and materials for the biocatalytic production of an α,ω-dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) and/or mono-methyl ester derivatives of dicarboxylic acids (DCAMMEs).

RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

The application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/130,971, filed Mar. 10, 2015; which is incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT

The invention was made with government support under Contract Nos. DE-AC02-05CH11231 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The government has certain rights in the invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of production of dicarboxylic acids and ester derivatives of dicarboxylic acids.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Dicarboxylic acids and corresponding mono-methyl esters have numerous industrial and medicinal applications, including, but not limited to, production of nylons and other polymers, constituents of cosmetics, fragrances, and acne medications.

People currently use a variety of chemical processes to produce dicarboxylic acids. Oxidation of cyclic ketones, such as cyclohexanone, or unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, is commonly used for the synthesis of dicarboxylic acids. Currently the most widely used method to produce dicarboxylic acids currently is the bioconversion of the corresponding alkane with Candida tropicalis. This yeast expresses oxidase enzyme complexes that oxidize the termini of alkanes to the corresponding carboxylic acid. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0118433 discloses using genetically engineered Candida tropicalis cells to produce ω-hydroxycarboxylic acids and w-hydroxycarboxylic acid esters. This method requires feeding of purified alkanes or fatty acids to the cells, using cytochrome P450s, and is limited to Candida tropicalis cells (see FIGS. 1 and 6). U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0267012 discloses a method of producing one or more fatty acid derived dicarboxylic acids in a genetically modified host cell which does not naturally produce the one or more derived fatty acid derived dicarboxylic acids.

Dicarboxylic acids are precursors to materials like polyesters and nylons, as well as high-value fragrance molecules like ethylene brassylate (see FIG. 2).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This present invention provides for a genetically modified host cell and related methods and materials for the biocatalytic production of an α,ω-dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) and/or mono-methyl ester derivatives of dicarboxylic acids (DCAMMEs). The DCAs and DCAMMEs can be used in the production of renewable chemicals for use in applications, including making polyesters, resins, polyamides, nylon, fuel additives and fuels, lubricants, paints, varnishes, engineering plastics and the like.

The genetically modified host cell comprises (a) a first enzyme having a first enzymatic activity that catalyzes a methyl transfer to an acyl-ACP species with a free carboxylate group distal to the thioester bond to form a first intermediate compound, (b) optionally enzymes having enzymatic activities that elongate the first intermediate molecule to form a second intermediate compound, and (c) optionally a second enzyme activity that catalyzes a release of the first or second intermediate molecule from the ACP through thioester hydrolysis to form a DCA or DCAMME. The DCAMME can also further undergo hydrolysis to form a DCA.

The present invention provides for a recombinant or genetically modified host cell, such as a recombinant or genetically modified of E. coli, that is capable of producing one or more DCAs and/or DCAMMEs from a carbon source, such as glucose.

In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cells are capable, when cultured, to produce a dicarboxylic acid with a carbon backbone with an odd-number of carbon atoms. In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell extends a three-carbon precursor, such as malonyl-ACP, two-carbons at a time to yield a DCA comprising a main carbon chain with an odd number of carbon atoms. FIG. 5 shows a method for producing a DCA with an odd-number of carbons atoms in the main carbon chain from a malonyl-ACP.

The present invention provides for a method for producing dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) and mono-methyl ester derivatives of dicarboxylic acids (DCAMMEs) in microbes by altering the expression of several genes. Dicarboxylic acids are industrially and medicinally relevant compounds. In some embodiments, the method comprises: (a) providing the genetically modified host cell of the present invention, (b) culturing or growing the genetically modified host cell such that a DCA and/or a DCAMME is produced, (c) optionally separating the DCA and/or the DCAMME from the genetically modified host cell, and (d) optionally polymerizing the DCA and/or the DCAMME into a polyester or polyamide polymer.

In some embodiments, the polymerizing step comprises reacting the DCA with a diamine to produce a nylon. A suitable diamine is an alkane diamine, such as hexane-1,6-diamine. In some embodiments, the polymerizing step comprises reacting the DCA with a dialcohol to produce a polyester. A suitable dialcohol is an alkane diol, such as ethylene glycol, propane diol, or butanediol. (See FIG. 7.) In some embodiments, the method further comprises converting the DCA into a macrocyclic musk using a scheme as described in FIG. 8. In some embodiments, the method further comprises cyclizing of the polyester into a macrocyclic musk, such as described in Scheme 1 of FIG. 8.

The DCA provides for the production of “green” nylon, such as that used in Mohawk carpet fibers. Besides nylon production, the ability to manipulate the side chains of the DCA provides for the production of novel polymer precursors that would lead to polymers with a variety of properties. These products may also serve as adhesive, lubricants or precursors for pharmaceuticals or other more complicated compounds.

The present invention provides for a composition comprising a DCA and/or a DCAMME isolated from a host cell from which the DCA and/or the DCAMME is produced, and trace residues and/or contaminants of the host cell. Such trace residues and/or contaminants include cellular material produced by the lysis of the host cell.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and others will be readily appreciated by the skilled artisan from the following description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1. A current method for producing DCA.

FIG. 2. Current uses for DCA in the chemical industry.

FIG. 3. A method for producing DCAs in E. coli. The process begins with malonyl-ACP, an abundant fatty acid precursor in E. coli. The carboxyl group is methylated by the enzyme BioC, a S-adenosyl-methionine-dependent methyl transferase (Lin, et al. 2012). The endogenous fatty acid synthase elongates the methylated malonyl group. A hydrolase bioH cleaves the methyl group and the intermediate is processed into biotin.

FIG. 4. A method for producing DCAs in E. coli.

FIG. 5. A method for producing a DCA with an odd-number of carbons atoms in the main carbon chain from a malonyl-ACP.

FIG. 6. A method of producing a DCA from a fatty acid precursor.

FIG. 7. A scheme for making novel polyamides or novel polyesters using a DCA.

FIG. 8. Schemes for converting a DCA into a macrocyclic musk. The schemes are taught in K.A.D. Swift (ed.), “Current Topics in Flavours and Fragrances—Towards a New Millennium of Discovery”, Springer Science+Business Media, B.V., 1999, pp. 81-85.

FIG. 9. Clustal W alignment of B. cereus ATCC10987 (top line) and E. coli MG1655 BioC (second line) together with the BioCs of several diverse bacteria. The diverse bacteria (followed by their GenBank™ accession numbers in parentheses) are Kurthia, Kurthia sp. 538-KA26 (BAB39463); Cl thermo, Clostridium thermocellum (ABN51266); Ch tepidum, C. tepidum (NP_660955); Serratia sp., Serratia marcescens (P36571); and E. herbicola, Erwinia herbicola (006898) (SEQ ID NOs: 1-7, respectively). The accession numbers of the B. cereus and E. coli proteins are NP_980478 and NP_415298, respectively.

FIG. 10A. Production of C13 dicarboxylic acid as a function of time in the pBioC and kBioC production strains.

FIG. 10B. Production of C15 dicarboxylic acid as a function of time in the pBioC and kBioC production strains.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Before the invention is described in detail, it is to be understood that, unless otherwise indicated, this invention is not limited to particular sequences, expression vectors, enzymes, host microorganisms, or processes, as such may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for purposes of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting.

In this specification and in the claims that follow, reference will be made to a number of terms that shall be defined to have the following meanings:

The terms “optional” or “optionally” as used herein mean that the subsequently described feature or structure may or may not be present, or that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where a particular feature or structure is present and instances where the feature or structure is absent, or instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not.

In some embodiments, the DCAMME has the chemical formula:

In some embodiments, the DCA has the chemical formula:

In some embodiments, the DCA has the chemical formula:

In some embodiments, the DCA is chemically polymerized into a polyester or polyamide (nylon) polymer having the chemical formula:

respectively.

In some embodiments, for chemical formulae (I), (II), (III), or (IV), n is an integer from 1 to 30. In some embodiments, n is an integer from 1 to 20. In some embodiments, n is an integer from 1 to 10. In some embodiments, n is the integer 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. In some embodiments, n is an odd integer, such as any odd integer from the ranges described above. In some embodiments, n is an even integer, such as even odd integer from the ranges described above.

In some embodiments, the DCA is an α,ω-dicarboxylic acid having a carbon length ranging from C3 to C25, with an odd number of carbons. Such DCAs include, but are not limited to, a C3 diacid, C5 diacid, C7 diacid, C9 diacid, C11 diacid, C13 diacid, C15 diacid, C17 diacid, C19 diacid, C21 diacid, C23 diacid, and C25 diacid. In some embodiments, the DCA is an α,ω-dicarboxylic acid having a carbon length ranging from C4 to C26, with an even number of carbons. Such DCAs include, but are not limited to, a C4 diacid, C6 diacid, C8 diacid, C10 diacid, C12 diacid, C14 diacid, C16 diacid, C18 diacid, C20 diacid, C22 diacid, C24 diacid, and C26 diacid.

In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell is transformed with a first nucleic acid construct encoding the first enzyme. In some embodiments, the first nucleic acid further encodes, or the genetically modified host cell is transformed with a first nucleic acid construct encoding, the enzymes having enzymatic activities that elongate the first intermediate molecule to form a second intermediate compound. In some embodiments, the first nucleic acid or second nucleic acid further encodes, or the genetically modified host cell is transformed with a third nucleic acid construct encoding the second enzyme. In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell is of a species wherein the genome of the wild-type host cell encodes the first enzyme and/or the enzymes having enzymatic activities that elongate the first intermediate molecule to form a second intermediate compound.

In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell is of a species wherein the genome of the wild-type host cell does not have any one, any two, or all of the first enzyme, the enzymes having enzymatic activities that elongate the first intermediate molecule to form a second intermediate compound, and the second enzyme. In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell is of a species wherein the genome of the wild-type host cell encodes any one, any two, or all of the first enzyme, the enzymes having enzymatic activities that elongate the first intermediate molecule to form a second intermediate compound, and the second enzyme, and the genetically modified host cell is capable of overexpressing the one, two, or all of the first enzyme, the enzymes having enzymatic activities that elongate the first intermediate molecule to form a second intermediate compound, and the second enzyme compared to the expression of each corresponding enzyme in the wild-type host cell.

In some embodiments, the first enzyme is a BioC, or a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence that has at least 70% amino acid sequence identity, or at least 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or 99% or greater amino acid sequence identity, to any one of SEQ ID NO:1-9. In some embodiments, the polypeptide comprises one or more, or all, of conserved residues indicated by an asterisk and/or boxed for all seven BioH shown in FIG. 9.

In some embodiments, the acyl-ACP species is malonyl-ACP and the first intermediate molecule is malonyl-ACP methyl ester. In some embodiments, the acyl-ACP species is succinyl-ACP and the first intermediate molecule is succinyl-ACP methyl ester.

In some embodiments, the BioC is Bacillus cereus BioC having the following amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 8)         10         20         30         40 MINKTLLQKR FNGAAVSYDR YANVQKKMAH SLLSILKERY         50         60         70         80 SETASIRILE LGCGTGYVTE QLSKLFPKSH ITAVDFAESM         90        100        110        120 IAIAQTRQNV KNVTFHCEDI ERLRLEESYD VIISNATFQW        130        140        150        160 LNNLQQVLRN LFQHLSIDGI LLFSTFGHET FQELHASFQR        170        180        190        200 AKEERNIKNE TSIGQRFYSK DQLLHICKIE TGDVHVSETC        210        220        230        240 YIESFTEVKE FLHSIRKVGA TNSNEGSYCQ SPSLFRAMLR        250        260 IYERDFTGNE GIMATYHALF IHITKEGKR

In some embodiments, the BioC is Pseudomonas putida BioC having the following amino acid sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 9)         10         20         30         40 MTDLSRPTLP GALPDKRQVA ASFSRAAASY DSVAALQRAV         50         60         70         80 GLSLLEQLPA GLQPSHWLDL GSGTGHFSRM LAERFAQAGG         90        100        110        120 VAVDIAEGML LHARHVKGGA QYHVVGDAER LPLRDASVDL        130        140        150        160 VFSSLAVQWC DQFASVLAEA QRVLRPGGVL AFSSLCVGTL        170        180        190        200 DELRASWQAV DGLVHVNRFR RFEDYQRLCA ASGFEQLELE        210        220        230        240 RCPHVLHYPD VRSLTHELKA LGAHNLNPGR PSGLTGRARM        250        260        270 QGLLQAYEAF RQPAGLPATY QVVYGVLRKP LA 

In some embodiments, the BioC has the amino acid sequence show in FIG. 9.

In some embodiments, the enzymes having enzymatic activities that elongate the first intermediate molecule to form a second intermediate compound is a FAS. The FAS can be of the Type I, Type II, and Type III fatty acid systems. Type I and Type III fatty acid systems often contain multiple enzymatic activities on a single polypeptide chain and are referred to as elongases for the Type III system. Generally, Type I and Type III systems generate specific chain length acyl-CoA molecules, which are normally transferred directly into the production of membrane lipids (phospholipids, glycerolipids, etc.) but can be hydrolyzed by a thioesterase to release the free fatty acid in engineered systems. Type II fatty acid systems are composed of single polypeptides that individually encode the multiple enzymatic activities required for fatty acid biosynthesis to generate a range of fatty acyl-ACPs that are normally transferred directly into the production of membrane lipids, but can be hydrolyzed by a thioesterase that recognizes specific chain length fatty acids.

In some embodiments, the FAS is a FAS2 or Type II fatty acid synthase, such as Aspergillus parasiticus FAS2 (AY371490) or S. cerevisiae FAS2 (α-subunit of fatty acid synthase; NP_015093.1).

In some embodiments, the second enzyme is a cytosolic thiosterase or ′TesA. The ′TesA can be cloned using the methods taught in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0267012, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell is reduced, or lacks, the enzymatic activity of BioH. In some embodiments, the wild-type genome of the genetically modified host cell encodes an enzyme having the enzymatic activity of BioH, such as a bioH gene. In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell is genetically modified to reduce, or lack, the enzymatic activity of BioH, or expression of the bioH gene. In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell is genetically modified to reduce expression of or knock-out the naturally occurring bioH gene. In some embodiments, the native promoter of the bioH gene is deleted in order to reduce expression of the bioH open reading frame. In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell is heterologous to any one of the first enzyme, the enzymes having enzymatic activities that elongate the first intermediate molecule to form a second intermediate compound, and/or second enzymes. In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell naturally lacks a native BioH.

In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell overexpresses BioC and ′TesA in a ΔbioH genetic background.

Fatty acid synthase enzymes are able to extend pimeloyl-ACP methyl ester further, and that ′TesA is able to efficiently catalyze hydrolysis of non-native long chain DCAMME acyl groups from ACP.

The genetically modified host cell can be any microbe capable of production of fatty acid-derived chemicals in accordance with the methods of the invention. In various embodiments, the microbes have characteristics that allow them to produce higher levels of product. For example, in one embodiment, the genetically modified host cell provided by the invention lacks or has reduced expression levels of, or has been modified for decreased activity of, enzymes catalyzing the degradation of specific chain length fatty acids. These enzyme activities include CoA-ligases (for example, and without limitation, FadD (E. coli), FAA1, FAA2, FAA3, FAA4 (S. cerevisiae), etc. as provided later and enzymes necessary for beta oxidation of fatty acids (for example, and without limitation, PDX1, PDX2, IDP3, TES1, FOX3 (S. cerevisiae), etc as provided later). In some embodiments, diols are produced from fatty acids. In these embodiments, enzymes necessary for beta oxidation will be reduced, but CoA-ligases may be retained.

Because malonyl-CoA is a possible precursor to fatty acid synthesis, it is advantageous to upregulate malonyl-CoA biosynthesis. In various embodiments, the genetically modified host cell is engineered for increased expression of enzymes catalyzing production of malonyl-CoA. For example, and without limitation, increasing the expression level of acyl-CoA carboxylase (gene ACC1 (FAS3) in S. cerevisiae is included herein for reference).

In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell exhibits improved production of fatty acids and the corresponding diacid products. In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell has reduced expression of genes and/or the corresponding enzyme products associated with fatty acid, α,ω-dicarboxylic acid, and related product, beta-oxidation, and have increased expression of genes and/or their corresponding enzyme products associated with α,ω-dicarboxylic acid and related product transporters. In this manner, the genetically modified host cell is deficient in its ability to degrade the final fatty acid or α,ω-dicarboxylic acid product and/or secretes product into the fermentation broth. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell is engineered for increased expression of genes and/or their corresponding enzyme products associated with biosynthesis of malonyl-CoA.

In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell comprises (a) a BioC having a enzymatic activity that catalyzes a methyl transfer to an acyl-ACP species with a free carboxylate group distal to the thioester bond to form a first intermediate compound, (b) optionally FAS having enzymatic activities that elongates the first intermediate molecule to form a second intermediate compound, and (c) optionally a ′tesA that catalyzes a release of the second intermediate molecule from the ACP through thioester hydrolysis to form a DCA or DCAMME. The DCAMME can also further undergo hydrolysis to form a DCA.

In some embodiments, the host organism is yeast. Yeast host cells suitable for practice of the methods of the invention include, but are not limited to, Yarrowia, Candida, Bebaromyces, Saccharomyces, Schizosaccharomyces and Pichia, including engineered strains provided by the invention. In one embodiment, Saccharomyces cerevisae is the host cell. In one embodiment, the yeast host cell is a species of Candida, including but not limited to C. tropicalis, C. maltosa, C. apicola, C. paratropicalis, C. albicans, C. cloacae, C. guillermondii, C. intermedia, C. lipolytica, C. panapsilosis and C. zeylenoides. In one embodiment, Candida tropicalis is the host cell.

In some embodiments the host is bacteria. Bacterial host cells suitable for practice of the methods of the invention include, but are not limited to, Escherichia and Bacillus, including engineered strains provided by the invention. In one embodiment, the bacterial host cell is a species of Bacillus, including but not limited to B. subtilis, B. brevis, B. megaterium, B. aminovorans, and B. fusiformis. In one embodiment, B. subtilis is the host organism.

One can modify the expression of a gene encoding any of the enzymes taught herein by a variety of methods in accordance with the methods of the invention. Those skilled in the art would recognize that increasing gene copy number, ribosome binding site strength, promoter strength, and various transcriptional regulators can be employed to alter an enzyme expression level. The present invention provides a method of producing a DCA and/or a DCAMME in a genetically modified host cell that is modified by the increased expression of one or more genes taught herein, and optionally one or more genes involved in the production of the acyl-ACP, such as malonyl-ACP or succinyl-ACP. This may include any genes involved in the production of fatty acid compounds by the host cell. In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cell further comprises modification of such genes. Such genes include, without limitation, those that encode the following enzymatic activities: acetyl CoA carboxylase, ketosynthase, ketoreductase, dehydratase, enoyl reductase, cytosolic thiosterase, and acyl-carrier protein. Illustrative genes that encode these enzymatic functions include acpP, acpS, accA, accB, accC, accD, fabD, fabH, fabG, fabZ, fabA, fabI, fabB, fabF (suitable copies of these genes may be obtained from, and without limitation, E. coli, Bacillus subtilis), tesA, tesB (E. coli), yneP, ysmA, ykhA, yvaM, ylpC (B. subtilis), FAS1, FAS2, FAS3, ELO1, ELO2, ELO3 (S. cerevisiae), ELO1, ELO2, ELO3 (T. brucei, T. cruzi, L. major), fasA, fasB (C. glutamicum, B. ammoniagenes, C. ammoniagenes), FAS 1 (Mycoplasma tuberculosis, Mycoplasma. smegmatis), and hexA, hexB (A. flavus, A. parasiticus). In some embodiments, one increases transcriptional regulation of these genes. Suitable transcriptional regulators include fadR (suitable copies of these genes may be obtained from, and without limitation, E. coli or B. subtilis) and RAP1, ABF1, REB1, INO2, INO4 (S. cerevisiae).

The present invention also provides methods and genetically modified host cells that have been engineered to be capable of secreting or excreting the DCA and/or DCAMME into the media. In some embodiments, genetically modified host cells and methods are provided to make the DCA and/or DCAMME that are secreted or excreted into the media or fermentation broth. In particular embodiments, these genetically modified host cells are further modified by expression of one or more genes encoding proteins involved in the export of DCA and/or DCAMME such that the product is moved from the interior of the cell to the exterior. Such genes include the following: DAL5, DIPS, JEN1 (S. cerevisiae), MAE1 (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), atoE, citT (B. subtilis), dcuB, dcuC (B. subtilis, A. succinogenes, E. coli), and various multidrug resistance pumps.

Once in the media or fermentation broth, the DCA and/or DCAMME can be separated and purified in accordance with the invention. In some embodiments, the genetically modified host cells is modified to secrete the DCA and/or DCAMME, and subsequently purified from the broth. In some embodiments, the products are purified through precipitation as calcium salts, or reactive extraction with tertiary amines. In some embodiments, the tertiary amines employed include, and without limitation, tripropylamine, trioctylamine, or tridecylamine. In some embodiments, ion exchange is employed for further purification of the DCA and/or DCAMME.

In other embodiments, the host cells are not modified to secrete the product into the growth medium and the product accumulates in the host cell. In these embodiments, the DCA and/or DCAMME is separated from the host cell in accordance with the invention by centrifugation or settling of the cell material, cell lysis, and subsequent purification of the DCA and/or DCAMME.

In some embodiments, the first, second, and/or third nucleic acid are recombinant DNA vectors.

Pimeloyl-acyl carrier protein, or pimeloyl-ACP, as well as pimeloyl-ACP methyl ester, are intermediates in the biosynthesis of the cofactor biotin. The pimeloyl moiety is produced in three steps: (1) methylation of malonyl-ACP by the methyltransferase BioC to yield malonyl-ACP methyl ester, (2) two iterations of condensation and reduction by the sequential actions of FabB or FabF, FabG, FabZ, and Fab1, enzymes collectively referred to as E. coli fatty acid synthase, to yield pimeloyl-ACP methyl ester, and (3) hydrolysis of the terminal methyl ester moeity by the hydrolase BioH. This pimeloyl-ACP intermediate is then converted to biotin through several additional enzymatic steps. The hydrolysis of the terminal methyl ester of pimeloyl-ACP methyl ester by BioH is thought to prevent further extension of the ACP-bound acyl chain by the fatty acid synthase. Thus, if the activity of BioH is removed, the fatty acid synthase is expected to continue extension of the pimeloyl methyl ester group to yield longer (9-17 carbon) dicarboxyl methyl ester ACP-bound compounds.

The pimeloyl or pimeloyl methyl ester moieties, as well as any longer chemical species formed in the absence of BioH, are covalently bound to ACP through a thioester linkage. If the thioester bond is hydrolyzed, it will release free pimelate, pimelate mono-methyl ester, or extension products into solution. ACP-thioesterase enzymes, such as ′TesA, are capable of catalyzing hydrolysis of acyl-ACP thioesters, releasing the bound substrates into solution.

In some embodiments, the method for producing DCAs and DCAMMEs in E. coli comprises: (a) expressing, such as overexpressing, BioC, or any enzyme capable of catalyzing methyl transfer to malonyl-ACP, succinyl-ACP, or any other acyl-ACP species with a free carboxylate group distil to the thioester bond, and (b) expressing, such as overexpressing, ′TesA or any acyl-ACP thioesterase or acyl-CoA thioesterase capable of releasing bound DCAs and DCAMMEs from ACP though thioester hydrolysis. When BioH is not present in the host cell, the production of DCAs and DCAMMEs is increased.

Other commonly used methods for production of DCAs include oxidation of cyclohexanone, oleic acid, or other unsaturated fatty acids. In these processes, the chain length is completely dependent on the structure of the precursor prior to oxidation. The method described in this invention allows for the production of DCAs with a variety of chain lengths from renewable sources, as well as the mono-methyl ester derivatives.

It is to be understood that, while the invention has been described in conjunction with the preferred specific embodiments thereof, the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the invention. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications within the scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

All patents, patent applications, and publications mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

The invention having been described, the following examples are offered to illustrate the subject invention by way of illustration, not by way of limitation.

EXAMPLE 1

Host Cell Genetically Modified to Produce Brassylic Acid (C13)

An E. coli host cell is genetically modified to overexpress BioC and ′TesA in a ΔbioH genetic background (see FIG. 4). The host cell when cultured produces mostly brassylic acid (C13), and trace amounts of C11 diacid and C15 diacid. When compared to results obtained from a control E. coli host cell that is genetically modified to overexpress BioC and ′TesA but in a bioH⁺ genetic background, the E. coli host cell which overexpresses BioC and ′TesA in a AbioH genetic background produces more brassylic acid (C13) than the control host cell. The brassylic acid can be further cyclized into ethylene brassylate (or Musk-T) (see FIG. 2).

EXAMPLE 2 Method for Production of C13 and C15 Dicarboxylic Acids Materials and Methods: Plasmid Construction

Open reading frames encoding BioC from Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas putida, and kurthia sp. 538-KA26 species are ordered as gblocks from IDT. The sequence for B. cereus bioC is codon optimized, the others are ordered as the wild type DNA sequence. The constructs are PCR amplified and assembled into biobrick expression plasmid pBbE5C or pBbE7C using Gibson cloning.

Strain Construction

Strain JBEI-3111 (E. coli MG1655 ΔfadE) has been described previously. The bioH gene is deleted from this strain using P1 phage lysogenization using Keio strain JW3375 as the donor strain, yielding strain JBEI-7954 (E. coli MG1655 ΔfadE ΔbioH).

Strains JBEI-3111 and JBEI-7954 are co-transformed with one of either pBbB5K-′tesA and pBbE5C-bcBioC (B. cereus), pBbE5C-pBioC (P. putida), or pBbE5C-kBioC (kurthia sp.) to yield production strains.

Cell Culture

Production strains are adapted into M9 minimal media (supplemented with 1 mg/L biotin) and expression of ′tesA and bioC is induced with 1 mM IPTG at OD₆₀₀ of 0.4-0.6. The cultures are incubated at 30 ° C. with shaking at 180 rpm for 24-48 hours after induction before analysis.

Dicarboxylic Acid Production Analysis

At multiple time points after inducing gene expression, 100 μL aliquots are taken from the culture, mixed with 100 μL of HPLC grade methanol, and filtered through a 0.5 mL 10 kDa amicon spin filter, and analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS).

-   Dicarboxylic acids are quantified using a standard curve with     authentic standards of C9, C11, C13, and C15 saturated dicarboxylic     acids (Sigma Aldrich, TCI).

Results:

Comparing Dicarboxylic Acid Production in E. coli Using bcBioC

Several strains are tested expressing ′tesA and bioC (B. cereus) and varied the expression strength of bioC in the presence and absence of genomic bioH. The titers of brassylic acid (C13 diacid) are indicated below:

ΔfadE E5C.bioC+B5K.′tesA: 17.3±0.3 μM

ΔfadE (DE3) E7C.bioC+B5K.′tesA: 3.0±0.1 μM

ΔfadEΔbioH (DE3) E5C.bioC+B5K.′tesA: 21.7±0.4 μM

ΔfadEΔbioH (DE3) E7C.bioC+B5K.′tesA: 14.7±0.4 μM

ΔfadEΔbioH (DE3) E5C.RFP+B5K.′tesA: ˜0 μM

The highest titer of brassylic acid is observed when bioC expression is driven by P_(lacUV5), and when the bioH gene is removed. Approximately 0.1 μM C13 dicarboxylic acid methyl ester is also detected in these samples.

Diacid Production as a Function of Time Using pBioC and kBioC

Production of C13 and C15 dicarboxylic acids are measured in the following strains:

ΔfadEΔbioH E5C.pbioC+B5K.′tesA

ΔfadEΔbioH E5C.kbioC +B5K.′tesA

The results are shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the specific embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation, material, composition of matter, process, process step or steps, to the objective, spirit and scope of the present invention. All such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A genetically modified host cell comprising: (a) a first enzyme having a first enzymatic activity that catalyzes a methyl transfer to an acyl-ACP species with a free carboxylate group distal to the thioester bond to form a first intermediate compound, (b) optionally enzymes having enzymatic activities that elongates the first intermediate molecule to form a second intermediate compound, and (c) optionally a second enzyme activity that catalyzes a release of the first or second intermediate molecule from the ACP through thioester hydrolysis to form an α,ω-dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) and/or a mono-methyl ester derivative of dicarboxylic acids (DCAMME).
 2. The genetically modified host cell of claim 1, wherein the DCAMME has the chemical formula:

wherein n is an integer from 1 to
 30. 3. The genetically modified host cell of claim 1, wherein the DCA has the chemical formula:

wherein n is an integer from 1 to
 30. 4. The genetically modified host cell of claim 1, wherein the first enzyme is BioC.
 5. The genetically modified host cell of claim 1, wherein the enzymes of step (b) are FAS.
 6. The genetically modified host cell of claim 1, wherein the second enzyme is ′TesA.
 7. The genetically modified host cell of claim 1, wherein the DCA comprises a main carbon chain with an odd number of carbon atoms.
 8. A method for producing dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) and mono-methyl ester derivatives of dicarboxylic acids (DCAMMEs) comprising: (a) providing the genetically modified host cell of claim 1, (b) culturing or growing the genetically modified host cell such that a DCA and/or a DCAMME is produced, (c) optionally separating the DCA and/or the DCAMME from the genetically modified host cell, and (d) optionally polymerizing the DCA and/or the DCAMME into a polyester or polyamide polymer.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the polymerizing step comprises reacting the DCA with a diamine to produce a nylon.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the diamine is an alkane diamine.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the polymerizing step comprises reacting the DCA with a dialcohol to produce a polyester.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the dialcohol is an alkane diol.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the alkane diol is ethylene glycol, propane diol, or butanediol.
 14. The method of claim 8, further comprises converting the DCA into a macrocyclic musk.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the DCA is bras sylic acid and the macrocyclic musk is ethylene brassylate. 